Our 1st Time in the Seychelles – and TORTOISES!!!

We visited the Seychelles for the first time in October 2018. I would like to start by praising the SeyVillas website – it is a fantastic and very informative site, and you really could not ask for more information. After spending weeks browsing it and following a recommendation from SeyVillas, we chose Praslin, La Digue and Cerf Island. We booked everything through SeyVillas, including transfers and flights, and it all went smoothly and worked perfectly. The short domestic flight from Mahé to Praslin on arrival was lovely. The aircraft was tiny, and the little airport was an experience in itself. Things are fairly chaotic around the ferries between the islands, but everything works out and even runs on time.

The accommodation, all small hotels, was beautifully furnished and had wonderful gardens. Everything was very well maintained, and the hosts were very friendly. Apart from that, it was all as described.

Cote D'Or Chalets

The location was excellent, the bungalow was lovely and clean, and the gardens were also very well maintained. The hostess and staff were very friendly, and nobody tried to push anything on us. There was a different decoration on the bed each day, which was a very thoughtful gesture and lovely to look at. The American-style breakfast was a little sparse, with toast, jam, cornflakes and fruit, so we bought a few extra things ourselves. Unfortunately, we were slightly disappointed by the beach here, as there was a great deal of seagrass. We went on an excursion to Curieuse to see the 150 tortoises. It was fantastic and well worth it, as they roam freely around the island. The walk through the mangroves was also quite an experience, combined with snorkelling at St Pierre. We also visited Vallée de Mai, which is an absolute must! We have travelled to many countries, but we have never seen palm trees like these anywhere else – for obvious reasons ;-)

Cote d'Or Chalets, Praslin On Curieuse Villa Creole

The 4 bungalows were set in a small garden overlooking the sea, with a private beach opposite. The grounds were beautifully laid out, and the interiors were decorated with great attention to detail. Everything was very clean, and the staff were extremely friendly. The bicycles were already waiting outside our bungalow. In the evenings, the whole place was romantically lit with torches. Breakfast was served on our private terrace, and there was even bacon, eggs prepared in various ways, pancakes and fruit. The location was ideal for cycling in every direction – it could hardly have been better. The only thing we could criticise was the tortoise enclosure. We had specifically chosen this hotel because of it. The enclosure was very small, not properly maintained and looked rather neglected. The tortoise was very shy and did not even have proper drinking water in the enclosure. However, she always accepted the treats we brought her after we had asked permission. On La Digue, of course, we had to visit the famous Anse Source d'Argent. Admission costs around €8, and there is also a tortoise enclosure. It is definitely worth seeing, although you would not want to pay the admission fee every day. We then cycled to Grand Anse. It was tiring, but the journey was well worth it, and the surf there was incredible, although swimming is not advisable.

Villa Creole, La Digue You can snorkel at many of the beaches, and there were always fish to see, as well as the occasional sea snake or ray.

Cerf Island L’Habitation

Cerf Island really has a Robinson Crusoe feel, and it is wonderfully peaceful there. Unfortunately, the transfer there was the only one that did not go quite so smoothly, as we waited almost 1 hour at the harbour for the boat. We liked the hotel very much. It has a real colonial atmosphere and is beautifully furnished. The breakfast there was the best, with yoghurt, cucumber, cheese and cold meats as well. We had booked dinner too, as there is no supermarket on the island. That was definitely the right decision, and the food was delicious. However, we were disappointed by the marine life directly off the beach. We saw considerably more fish and other sea life around the other islands. We also paddled through the marine park in one of the hotel’s kayaks to Moyenne Island, as there are tortoises there too. Paddling across the ocean was quite an adventure, but we made it. Incidentally, there is a €10 ‘landing fee’ on Moyenne.

L'Habitation All in all, we can say that there are many dream beaches around the world, including in other countries. What makes the Seychelles unique, however, are the rock formations, the tortoise population and, of course, the friendly people. It was well worth the trip, and we returned home with more than 550 photos.

And Ralf... we agree with you: La Digue was our favourite too. You live among the locals as if in one enormous garden, cycling around the island – simply wonderful! It may also be worth mentioning that ‘Creole Service’ arranges a welcome meeting, although they do not speak a word of German even when greeting German guests.

So you really do need English. Thank you for a wonderful holiday.